Scholarship Winner: Christiane Boyd,University of
Oregon-Cascades
Scholarship Essay Excerpt
....I have recently been involved in a project which involved the study,
observation, and planning of the management of a local population of juniper
trees that have recently gotten out of balance in the Central Oregon area.
In their natural setting, juniper trees are relatively solitary high desert
trees because they are particularly good at scavenging all of an areas
available resources and other trees cannot beat them out for the necessary
nutrients. Furthermore, because they are exceptionally hard to uproot or
remove, the indian ancestors of this area would use fire every few years or
so to control the juniper tree growth, not allowing them to spread too
quickly lest they take over an area's tree population by starving all other
populations out. This form of management worked for many years until recent
times, when fear of fire in populated areas and certain farming practices
have allowed the juniper population to grow unchecked. The natural balance
was thrown off and our current project involves finding ways to reset and
maintain the juniper tree ecosystem as well as restore the balance of other
organisms that share its ecosystem which have also been thrown out of
balance. It's extremely interesting and, once completed, will restore a beautiful
feature of this area's natural history.
I am also involved in recycling not only newspapers, cans, glass, and
printer paper, but also aluminum, tin, and plastics. It's a full time job
on a campus! We have had to provide not only containers and recepticles that
can be used to place recycleables, but have needed to provide a modest
amount of education on the matter (since people must understand why it is
important to recycle before they will actually take the time to recycle).
I plan to go on to Graduate School and obtain a masters in the field of
Biopsychology or Neuropsychology. From there, I hope to secure a position in
the field of addiction, where I hope my knowledge of the biology of the
brain will aid in understanding psychological manifestations in the mind of
those suffering from the disease of addiction. One day, I think that we will
find that most of our addictions and compulsive behaviors can be traced to
deficiences or overproduction of certain neurotransmitters in the brain. By
studying such things, I hope that modern man will discover ways to
circumvent these malfunctions or correct those already in progress, thereby
lessening the distress caused by active addiction or possibly avoiding it's
ever surfacing altogether.
Congratulations
again to scholarship recipient Christiane Boyd! Will you
be the next winner?
Apply online right now and give it your best shot. Good
luck!
Didn't
Win? More Tips for Saving Money in College
- Be
prepared. Most experts recommend you get an emergency credit card.
for when unexpected expenses pop up -- and eventually,
they will.
- Textbooks
are too expensive, and
you don't have to buy them from your college bookstore!
We recommend Half.com
-- they've got thousands of new
and used textbooks that ship in 24 hours, cheaper than
your bookstore
.
- Want
More Financial Aid Information? Most
college students miss out on money they could've received
from the government by messing up their applications.
Avoid this mistake and learn from the experts: Visit a
new community
that will guide you through the financial aid maze. Visit
FAFSAForum.com today!
- Win
More Scholarships: Write Better Essays! The
author of 100
Dos And Don'ts of a Winning Scholarship Essay says
that over 95% of scholarship essays contain basic errors
that disqualify them immediately. Join the 5% that actually
win! Download
this e-Book and learn what 1 million+ students around
the world don't know.
